Principal support for student psychological needs. A social-psychological pathway to a healthy learning environment
| Published date | 07 August 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-05-2016-0045 |
| Pages | 510-525 |
| Date | 07 August 2017 |
| Author | Curt Adams,Jentre Olsen |
| Subject Matter | Education,Administration & policy in education,School administration/policy,Educational administration,Leadership in education |
Principal support for student
psychological needs
A social-psychological pathway to a healthy
learning environment
Curt Adams and Jentre Olsen
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa,
Oklahoma, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Although leadership evidence highlights the importance of cooperative principal-teacher
relationships, research has not looked thoroughly at the content behind principal-teacher interactions. The
purpose of this paper is to use self-determination theoryand organizational conversationto develop principal
supportfor student psychological needs(PSSPN), a concept that representsprincipal-teacher interactionsbased
on social and psychological factors contributing to student learning. The empiricalpart of the study tests the
relationship between PSSPN and facultytrust in students and student self-regulated learning.
Design/methodology/approach –Hypotheses were tested with a non-experimental, correlational research
design using ex post facto data. Data were collected from 3,339 students and 633 teachers in 71 schools located
in a metropolitan area of a southwestern city in the USA. Hypotheses were tested with a 2-2-1 multi-level
mediation model in HLM 7.0 with restricted maximum likelihood estimation.
Findings –Principal support for student psychological needs had a positive and statistically significant
relationship with faculty trust in students and self-regulated learning. Additionally faculty trust mediated the
relationship between principal support for student psychological needs and self-regulated learning.
Originality/value –This is one of the first studies to examine school leadership by the content that is
exchanged during principal-teacher interactions. Principal support for student psychological needs
establishes a theoretically-based framework to study leadership conversations and to guide administrative
practices. Empirical results offer encouraging evidence that the simple act of framing interactions around the
science of wellbeing can be an effective resource for school principals.
Keywords Self-regulation, Self-determination theory, Faculty trust, Leadership conversation
Paper type Research paper
In healthcare, and more recently in education, research evidence shows that relatively small
and seemingly insignificant changes to processes and practices are producing profound
improvements in outcomes that have eluded more expensive and comprehensive
interventions (Berwick, 2008; Kenthirarajah and Walton, 2015; Yeager and Walton, 2011).
For instance, Haynes et al. (2009) found that using a pre-operation checklist significantly
reduced surgical complications and deaths in over 3,000 patients in eight hospitals. A few
examples in school settings include using critical feedback that affirms students’ability to
achieve high standards (Yeager et al., 2014), a 15-20-minute reflective writing exercise on
personal values (Cohen et al., 2009), and teaching students about the brain and how it grows
like a muscle (Blackwell et al., 2007).
The above research has been referred to as social-psychologi cal interventions
(Kenthirarajah and Walton, 2015). In schools, interventions have been integrated into
daily routines to study how small adjustments to adult-student interactions affect school
experiences. Treatments expose students to information designed to disrupt mindsets
behind maladaptive behavior, such as disengagement from learning and social isolation
(Yeager and Walton, 2011; Yeager et al., 2013). Existing evidence suggests that the content
of information can spark positive behavioral changes that may alter students’life trajectory
(Blackwell et al., 2007; Kenthirarajah and Walton, 2015; Walton and Cohen, 2007, 2011).
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 55 No. 5, 2017
pp. 510-525
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/JEA-05-2016-0045
Received 10 May 2016
Revised 3 October 2016
12 December 2016
Accepted 21 December 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm
510
JEA
55,5
Useful knowledge can result from extending aspects of social-psychological research to
school administration. School principals, through their numerous formal and informal
interactions, have considerable influence over learning experiences and opportunities
(Leithwood et al., 2010; Lortie, 2009; Louis et al., 2010). Principal-teacher interactions in
particular have persuasive power in shaping teacher mindsets and guiding teacher behavior
(Lowenhaupt, 2014). The problem is that research has overlooked this topic. Most leadership
studies examine leadership tasks, responsibilities, and processes, neglecting the
substance of leadership conversations (Lowenhaupt, 2014). Lowenhaupt (2014) said it
best, “language is not simply an accessory or aid to practice, but a core and defining
component of leadership”(p. 447).
In this study, self-determination theory is used to identify the social and psychological
determinants of student motivation, growth, and well-being. This evidence, along with
Groysberg and Slind’s (2012) work on organizational conversation, is used to develop
principal support for student psychological needs (PSSPN), a concept that represents
principal-teacher interactions based on social and psychological factors behind optimal
student learning. The empirical part of the study tests the relationship between PSSPN and
features of a healthy learning environment.
PSSPN: its foundation and meaning
Unlike many current leadership theories (e.g. instructional, transformation, shared,
collective, etc.), PSSPN does not explain how school leaders carry out their respective
responsibilities. Instead, it delves into the nature of principal-teacher social exchanges,
advancing elements of conversations that have consequences for developing
learning environments conducive to growth producing experiences. Two theoretical and
conceptual frameworks underpin the conceptualization: self-determination theory
and organizational conversation.
Self-determination theory assumes that human growth and development follow an
integrative process whereby features of the social world interact with innate biological
tendencies in a way that can ignite healthy development and well-being, or conversely, can
undermine innate ability (Deci and Ryan, 2016; Ryan and Deci, 2002). Often, the difference
between children who adapt to school routines and students who struggle to integrate
school with their sense of self comes down to schools and classrooms experienced as
supporting the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Niemiec and
Ryan, 2009; Reeve, 2002). These three psychological needs function as regulatory
mechanisms for positive adjustment and personal well-being (Deci and Ryan, 2016).
Just as calories supply the body with energy needed to perform physical activities,
autonomy, competence, and relatedness supply the energy behind autonomous motivation
(Adams et al., 2016; Niemiec and Ryan, 2009; Ryan and Deci, 2000). Autonomy manifests
as a cognitive belief representing individual agency and control over academic goals
(Assor et al., 2002; Jang et al., 2010). Competence is defined as possessing the knowledge of
how to master a subject or activity and the confidence to apply that knowledge to achieve
desired goals (Connell and Wellborn, 1991). Relatedness includes feelings of security,
attachment, and belonging to educators and the school (Ryan and Deci, 2002).
The function of schools, similar to that of families or other social systems, is to activate
needs through supportive conditions and processes. Support for psychological needs,
however,does not come naturally to many schools(Adams et al., 2015, 2016 ; Reeve et al., 2004).
Traditional structures, routines, and regularities gravitate toward the controlling end of the
spectrum. This controlling disposition has calcified in many places under the high stakes
nature of test-based accountability (Deci and Ryan, 2016; Ryan and Weinstein, 2009).
Creating a need-supportive climate requires constant tending and care by school principals
(Murphy and Torre, 2014; Lortie, 2009).
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psychological
pathway
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